Jachut

I think cheese is best eaten in moderation, it is very high fat - and that's saturated fat - and often high in sodium too. I love cheese, I do eat it but its not a daily food for me, and I try to keep servings small. I dont do low carb or high Protein so I base my diet more on lower fat higher carb (good carb) foods and only eat things like cheese and small amounts.

I definitely eat the same as the family, just less. I never understood people "on diets" who had to cook two different meals. If you feed your family such crap that you cant possibly eat it yourself and lose weight, then really, you need to change what you're feeding your family. And I know you said you werent talking junk, so I'm just talking generalisations. There's some things they like that just are hard for me. The kids love lamb loin chops, I cannot eat them off the barbecue anymore, they have to be slow cooked, kids dont like them that way. So I never eat loin chops. If we want steak we go out. I suck at cooking it anyway, that's one instance where I physically cant eat my own cooking, tee hee, so we go to Hogs Breath for an 18 hour slow cooked prime rib. Its worth the money! Other than that, we eat healthy as a family anyway, I just used to eat too darn much.

We dont tip in Australia thank goodness - it costs me $150 as it is for a cut and colour, no way should I have to leave 20% on top of that! Sometimes you leave a few bucks on the table for good service at a restaurant, but that's it.

That just goes to show how much some WW leaders know. Honestly, the kind of advice people supposedly "in the know" like WW leaders, gym instructors and personal trainers give is sometimes very much a layman's point of view and quite misleading. Many people here would easily know as much about fitness and nutrition as the experts we seem to feel compelled to pay to tell us what we already know, and then tell us some completely untrue facts to boot! Moderate calorie reduction when you were previously stuffing down ten times more than you needed is not starvation and your body is not likely to respond like it is being starved either. You can take in completely adequate calories and nutrition and still lose weight. What happens is that as your body weighs less it needs less calories to fuel and maintain it. No matter what you do exercise wise, although keeping up your body's muscle is great and you should do cardio and strength training to fuel a good healthy metabolism, but still, no matter what, a body that weighs 100lb less is going to require far less calories than it once did. So you will not be able to eat as much as you once did and get away with it. That is not a slower metabolism though, that is just that you dont need that many calories. Now eating under 1000 is getting chancy though, that really is eating very little. But it seems to be what some people have to do, and those are probably people that had slow metabolisms in the FIRST place, not people who have killed their metabolisms by dieting or whatever. We all know people who appear to become and stay very fat on quite normal amounts of food.

Dont know, its very frustrating isnt it? I was at 3.1 in my 4cc band. It was great, I was losing that last little bit of weight. Then about eight weeks later, it was period time and I had a plane flight too and I could barely eat a thing. Everything hurt a bit and although there were no pb's or incidents, it really stood out to everyone I was away with that I wasnt eating. It continued after I came home, and I lost no weight either, because I was starting to eat crap just to get food down. So I had .2 ml taken out and instant relief. Trouble is now, eight or nine weeks later I am having to work so HARD to maintain my weight. I stay level if I actively "diet" but if I just eat according to appetite (healthy foods) I gain about 5lb which I have to then lose again. I'm up down and all over the darn shop and its beginning to give me the irrits. So I think I'll get half of that .2 back in again and just see if it helps. There's no doubt about it it, even three years down the track, retrained to eat better foods, with a much healthier outlook on food and running daily, I *still* need that help from my band. I dont eat a lot of junk but my body sure doesnt need 2000 calories or more (like the charts say it does) to maintain my weight. And my natural appetite directs me to eat that much, I need my band to keep it down at 1500 or so. This band really is a miracle.

If it hasnt blocked you up and made you slime and PB its probably just going to go through. There's nothign magic or sinister about gum in particular, it will either go through or you will bring it up. Its highly unlikely to harm your band.

Lol, no I dont get it. Having been at goal for at least a year (cant really remember now) I really miss the excitement of losing weight. I've never been able to stop that "just lose a little more" mentality and accept myself as I am right now. Although I never actually lose any, lol. Its kind of like "what now" when you get there. After so long a focus, well a whole lifetime, of wanting to lose, wanting to change, its really strange to not have that any more, so you tend to keep feeling that way without the ability to really do anythign about it, unless you want to go and overindulge in cosmetic surgery or something and end up looking like Pamela Anderson. I can really understand how that happens though. There's plenty to work on when you get to goal, its not some wonderful place where you never have any desire to change yourself again.

Precisely. There's lots of people out there very threatened by a) success and :cool2: a normal healthy weight. I have faced WAY more judgement, negativity and overly personal remarks about my weight and appearance as a thin person than as a heavier one. Some of it right here on this forum. Stay true to yourself, that's all you can do.

I'm a wine drinker personally. Beer's OK, I might have one occasionally if its hot and we've been working in garden etc. Or if there's no wine in the fridge lol. I dont ever touch spirits really. Maybe a drambui now and again but that's it.

I go and enjoy a drink or two and relax! This is lifestyle, not a life sentence. The trick is to learn to go to a bar, have a good night but not drink 10 drinks. Same with going out for dinner. By all means, go out, have a great meal, probably food that's more fattening than you usually eat but in moderation. It really doesnt affect weight loss in the long run, its what you do 80% of the time that matters. But part of what I like to do when getting ready to go out is go for a run (either outside or on the treadmill). Gets the blood pumping, my skin looking good and makes up for a few calorie indiscretions in advance! I think living life forever on a strict diet with a million rules and counting every single calorie for ever after is every bit as disordered as overeating.

I think thinking I'll just have a taste is one thing and planning for it, ordering an entire pizza for example, planning to be alone while you do it and all that is quite different as well. But I just EAT what I want to and I've found that the foods that I cant stomach just dont appeal to me anymore. Like I dont want fries ever because they cause me pain, I've come to really dislike pizza etc. And not because I've had dozens of pizza episodes, just because the experience of eating it is tedious and I jsut cant be bothered. That does happen with time.

I think it seems to be something that goes away with time. Everyone who complains of it seems to have been banded less than a year. I remember I got it a lot but never ever do now.

Yes, I've drunk with meals all the way through. My doc's attitude was if it isnt ruining your weight loss then by all means, go ahead. It really does NOT make me hungrier sooner. I had a brief period of being quite tight, and I couldnt drink within half an hour of a meal then, I just couldnt get it down and it would make me PB. I dont know what happened, I had some fill removed (.2) and I am now SO open. Just one of those glitches, hormonal, whatever. But I can do it again now. I dont tend to drink WITH meals unless I'm having a glass of wine with dinner, and then its only a sip or two. But I usually drink pretty soon after meals. And I eat and drink together if I snack - might have a piece of cheese on a cracker with a cup of coffee kind of thing. But if you do think its hampering weight loss for you then its a no brainer, try NOT doing it and see what happens.

So far, the figures in Australia show that 10 years is quite likely, although lots of people have changed over because band technology improved. My surgeon's information (and this is Prof. Paul O'Brien's practice, he's one of the world experts) says to expect rebanding, but that they simply cannot know when. He says that most likely is that the balloon will fail. Just like breast implants degrade and need to be replaced. I dont know what would happen in the US, here in Australia there wouldnt be any issues insurance wise as our health system stands at the moment. You need it, you get it done. If you didnt have insurance, you may have to wait on a list for a significant amount of time to get done in a public hospital. But who knows, our politicians seem determined to ruin our system!

That's a HUGE difference! We do need to be realistic though. I keep waiting for this supermodel body to emerge, but really, I'm just a smaller version of what I was before, with less lumps. Our basic shape/build doesnt change, but that's OK. I bet you'll really notice it from hereon in becuase it doesnt look like you have heaps to lose anymore. So every little pound is very visible.

I think clothing NSV's are the best! You finally feel validated when you make it into a new section, be it ordinary plus size, or normal sizes or whatever. I remember how darn depressing it was to not be able to shop in any normal stores. I had the choice of one store or horrid discount department stores and that was it unless I wanted to go really upmarket, go into the city to shop and pay $300 for a pair of jeans. Formal or dressy occasions were a nightmare. It was awful.

I cant see your pics. But dont be disappointed, the less weight you have to lose, the more difference it makes appearance wise. I changed more in the last 30lb than in the first 70. Including losing anything resembling a bustline, lol.

The economy thing is really scary. What happens to the US happens to the rest of the world too. It will flow on to the rest of the world. I just try to look at it that if we all go into depression, everyone is up sh*t creek without a paddle. Nobody will be going through it alone. Although I'm very glad we're not greedy people. We have a modest house, a teeny mortgage nearly paid off, modest cars. We buy stuff as we can afford to. We're not people who have to have the biggest and best of everything. I know loads of people who are up to their ears in debt on houses, cars, plasmas, etc.

Congratulations! Its hard to get your head around isnt it? I feel like yes, I was banded, and I lost a bit of weight, feel so much better and look so much better now. I cannot believe it was 100lb, I just STILL cant face the fact that I was that big. My mind refuses to see it. I look at DH now who weighs about what I did and he's a BIG guy. I always feel compelled to say oh, my BMI was only 36, like I was a lightweight or something. But 100lb is well..... a LOT of weight. So well done, I bet you feel fantastic!

Hmmmm, I'm B+, I wonder if that has anything to do with it. I definitely agree that some can eat carbs without abandon, some cant. Some people get fat, some dont, on normal calorie intakes too. I'd have to say for most people who get a lapband and then dont lose, there's got to be something not right. If you lower your calories, it should be that simple. But its just not for everyone, is it? You can only work out what's right for YOU, cant you?

Wow, that's FANTASTIC!

No.... that's sensible. If its a mistake that only happens now and again. Being unable to stay away from certain foods, and being unable to resist putting them in your mouth, and thinking you can get round it by spitting them out again is a bit different.

I'm sorry but I think its dysfunctional and it has never even occurred to me to do it. Dont take that as me saying people who do it are disgusting or that I'm horribly judgemental about it, I'm fully aware of the fact that anorexia, bulimia and the like are diseases, not choices of behaviour. But like anorexia or bulimia, its dysfunctional, abnormal eating behaviour and it needs attention.

I think they're all disgusting, we have no where near as many varieties here though. I just dont drink them. Believe it or not, you can survive without Protein Shakes and without high Protein intakes. My hair hasnt fallen out, I lost all my weight easily, I'm not a muscleless blob and I'm very healthy.

Lol, annie, yes there's really a Fountain Gate. Its in the heart of suburban Narre Warren, there's no such suburb as Fountain Lakes. But its pretty stereotypical. I've seen filming going on there, but most of it is actually done at Southland, not Fountain Gate at all. I dont think people get pissed at being made fun of (I mean, there's nothing else noteworthy about Narre Warren, roflmao!). That's the Aussie sense of humour isnt it? I remember watching Hey Hey its Saturday many years ago when they were in America and absolutely NOBODY cracked a smile, and in fact got very aggressive when the Red Symons (on Red Faces) took the piss out of them. The poor things just didnt understand that the whole POINT of going on Red Faces was to get abused by Red or that there was ever a show called New Faces with Bert Newton and that it was a satire based on that. Most Aussies find that sort of thing hilarious, even when they're the one being abused! That's why Kath n Kim will NEVER translate well into an American show. Sorry, it might be funny but it will never be quintessential Kath n Kim because its all about Aussie suburbia and that's totally unique. They nailed it exactly in that show! But people just dont understand that its a caricature, that we all have these little bits of it in us, but we're not all complete bogans like Kim, lol. But what Aussie doesnt get driving round in the Barina to get your nails done and have a dimmie down at the shops? And even pick up a few hair exten-shuns at Price Attack!